Family History is a journey through our past in which we use archive records to meet the ancestors who have shaped not just our features but also our personalities, values and everyday lives. Learning more about our forbearers or the place in which we live allows us to make a real connection to the past and sometimes understand more about our present circumstances.

On these pages you can get a flavour of Jersey's migrant history, why people came to Jersey and why people left and what effect that had in Jersey. Why people left Jersey for Australia in the 19th century, how the cod fishing industry in Canada had an impact on Jersey's population and why workers from the UK were essentail to Jersey's economy.

← USA

Trade opportunities in America, a lack of local commerce and the expense of the civil war meant that many people started a new life overseas. There were large Jersey communities in Boston and Salem.

← USA (1848 to 1858)

Gold Rush fever! Jersey people were already emigrating to America seeking opportunities for construction work and the purchase of land, when the California Gold Rush started in 1848.

← USA

Trade links between Jersey and New England continued into the 18th century. A number of merchants and apprentices travelled to America and settled.

→ UK

The finance industry in Jersey attracts people from around the world, but especially from the UK and off-shore jurisdictions.

← UK

Young adults leave Jersey to follow new job opportunities or to attend university.

→ UK

Labourers from around the UK came to work in Jersey as part of the major construction project to build St Catherine’s Breakwater. English fishing companies also participated in the Gorey Oyster fishing industry which employed at least 2,000 men and many more women and children.

→ Spain (1960s)

During the 1960s people from Spain came to work in Jersey's thriving hospitality and tourism industry.

→ Russia (1848)

Political upheaval in Europe meant that migrants left Russia, Poland, Hungary and Italy for safer places such as Jersey.

→ Portugal (1960s)

During the 1960s there was an influx of workers from Portugal and Maderia who worked in the hospitality industry. Many Portuguese people settled on the Island and today Jersey has a thriving Portuguese community.

→ Poland

The late 20th and early 21st century has seen a rise in the Polish Community in Jersey with individuals being employed in the hospitality and agriculture industries.

→ Poland (1848)

Political upheaval in Europe meant that migrants left Russia, Poland, Hungary and Italy for safer places such as Jersey.

← New Zealand (1883 to1885)

Economic downturn – Jersey Banking Company and Charles Robin and Company both had to ‘close their doors’ in 1886 after it was found that Gosset the States Treasurer had been gambling with the funds. Islanders were given free passage given to New Zealand and c. 400 people left the Island.

← New Zealand

Until 1839 there were only about 2,000 immigrants in New Zealand; by 1852 there were about 28,000. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed which gave British immigrants legal rights as citizens. The 19th century emigration to British colonies appealed to Jersey men and women with skilled trades and those experienced in agriculture.

→ Italy (1848)

Political upheaval in Europe meant that migrants left Russia, Poland, Hungary and Italy for safer places such as Jersey.

→ Ireland (1851)

Irish Potato famine had a devastating effect in Ireland, those lucky enough to escape moved around the world, this included Jersey.

→ India (1881)

Retired Indian Army officers came from India, the East Indies and Ceylon to settle in Jersey.

→ Hungary (1848)

Political upheaval in Europe meant that migrants left Russia, Poland, Hungary and Italy for safer places such as Jersey.

← France (1914 - 1918)

During The Great War 862 Jerseymen died. 300 were attached to the Irish rifles and served at the Front. Over 6,000 served in total including approximately 2,300 Frenchmen who lived in Jersey and enlisted in the French forces.

→ France

French agricultural workers continued to move to the Island in the first part of the 20th century. Workers were typically from Normandy and Brittany.

Stories

→ France

Anti Clerical Laws in France led to the arrival of a number of teaching and nursing orders in the Island from 1880 onwards such as the de la Salle brothers and Little Sisters of the Poor. Earlier in the century political refuges such as Victor Hugo came to Island.

→ France (1851 to 1891)

The number of French individuals in the Island more than doubled between 1851 and 1881 with an influx of agricultural labourers moving to the Island from Normandy and Brittany.

→ France

The Edict of Nantes in 1598 granted the Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the State. This was revoked in 1685 and a large number of Protestants left France over the next two decades with several thousand finding new homes in Jersey. They left without money, but took with them many skills, establishing small businesses in the Island.

→ France (1585 to 1588)

French Wars of Religion between Catholic and Protestant (Huguenots) meant that many Huguenots fled France to Protestant Countries particularly after the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. In Jersey there were so many new residents that Jersey introduced an extra market day.

→ France (1789)

The French Revolution led to a number of aristocrats and Catholic priests seeking refuge in Jersey. In 1795 the Frenchmen of military age in the Island enlisted for an expedition to Quiberon – 3,500 were enrolled giving an idea of the numbers in Jersey at the time. In 1792 1,800 priests came to the Island with the number apparently increasing to 3,000.

→ England (1920)

Traditionally Jersey has enjoyed tax benefits which attract High Value Residents who continue to come to Jersey. In the first half of the 20th century Jersey also had a low cost of living which encouraged individuals from the UK to settle in the Island.

→ England (1820's onwards)

At the end of Napoleonic Wars Jersey offered a mild climate and cheaper living. By 1840 there were apparently 5,000 English residents in the Island. Three-quarters of these were half-pay officers and their families.

Stories

← Canada (1850 to 1860)

Canada, thanks to Jersey's long association with the Gaspé, was probably the principle destination for local emigrants seeking new opportunities in the 19th century. The Country advertised for new residents and lectures were given on the benefits of emigration in the Queen's Assembly rooms in St Helier. Emigration to British Colonies continued between 1871 and 1891 when over 6,000 individuals left the Island after the banking collapse.

← Canada

18th century merchants followed the triangular cod trade route leaving Jersey to trade in the Gaspé and Newfoundland, the West Indies and the Mediterranean. Initially the majority went on a seasonal basis but as the century progressed a number of Jersey firms with resident staff were set up. Charles Robin established the pattern of trade for Jersey firms with the firm based in Canada but the head offices based in Jersey.

Stories

← Australia (1854)

Gold Rush fever! Jersey people were already emigrating to Australia, a British colony actively recruiting immigrants, when the Gold Rush started in 1851. It has been estimated that as many as 6,000 people may have left the Channel Islands for Australia between 1852 and 1855. Emigration to British Colonies continued between 1871 and 1891 when over 6,000 individuals left the Island after the banking collapse.

Other Stuff

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